Journal of Financial TherapyCopyright (c) 2018 Kansas State University Libraries All rights reserved.http://newprairiepress.org/jft
Recent documents in Journal of Financial Therapyen-usThu, 12 Apr 2018 02:25:37 PDT3600Researcher Profile: Wookjae Heohttp://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss2/8
http://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss2/8Tue, 10 Apr 2018 18:57:38 PDT
Researcher Profile: Wookjae Heo
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Wookjae HeoPractitioner Profile: Bart Colomhttp://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss2/7
http://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss2/7Tue, 10 Apr 2018 18:57:35 PDT
Bart Colom Profile
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Bart ColomBook Review: Loadedhttp://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss2/6
http://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss2/6Tue, 10 Apr 2018 18:57:31 PDT
Book Review: Loaded
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Barbara O'NeillAssociations between Financial Avoidance, Emotional Distress, and Relationship Conflict Frequency in Emerging Adults in Collegehttp://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss2/5
http://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss2/5Tue, 10 Apr 2018 18:57:26 PDT
Some research shows that college students are not aware of their financial situation and even avoid engaging with their finances. Research has yet to investigate how this financial avoidance is associated with emotional and relational health for college students in romantic relationships. As such, the purpose of this study was to identify the associations between financial avoidance and conflict frequency. Emotional distress was included as a possible mediator of the association. Results revealed that for both men and women, higher financial avoidance was indirectly associated with increased conflict frequency with their partner through increased emotional distress. A direct association was found for men. These results are important as they may give insight into increased mental health issues and relational distress in college students. Implications for practice are discussed.
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Josh R. Novak et al.Does she think it matters who makes more? Perceived differences in types of relationship arguments among female breadwinners and non-breadwinnershttp://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss2/4
http://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss2/4Tue, 10 Apr 2018 18:57:21 PDT
This mixed methods study used a sequential exploratory design and Becker’s (1973) Theory of Marriage to explore how female breadwinners and non-breadwinners perceive types of relationship arguments. Respondents completed an online survey targeted to women about money and relationships. Qualitative analyses using a multiple case study approach explored the contents of arguments among three groups: women who earn more than their partner/spouse, women who earn less, and women who earn the same. Quantitative analyses employed independent t-tests to identify differences between female breadwinners and non-breadwinners for variables related to the identified themes from the qualitative analyses. Findings from this mixed methods study suggest that female breadwinners tend to perceive their partners as not meeting their expectations, are more likely to use blame language, and are less likely to use “togetherness” language when describing relationship arguments. Implications for future research and practice are provided.
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Melanie Mendiola et al.Financial Influences Impacting Young Adults’ Relationship Satisfaction: Personal Management Quality, Perceived Partner Behavior, and Perceived Financial Mutualityhttp://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss2/3
http://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss2/3Tue, 10 Apr 2018 18:57:16 PDT
In this study, we investigated the extent to which young adults’ (n=274) personal financial management quality and perceived partners’ financial behavior were associated – both directly and indirectly via perceived financial mutuality – with relationship satisfaction in committed relationships. The study was grounded in Social Exchange Theory (SET). A path analysis revealed that perceived partner’s financial behavior had a direct association with perceived financial mutuality, which, in turn, had a direct association with relationship satisfaction. In contrast, the participant’s financial management quality and relationship satisfaction were not directly associated nor was they indirectly associated through perceived financial mutuality. Perceived financial mutuality had the largest effect on relationship satisfaction. These findings indicate that perceived financial mutuality plays a key role both directly and as a mediator on relationship satisfaction for these young adults. The implications of the findings provide insights for designing preventive financial strategies early in romantic relationships.
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Dung Minh Mao et al.Marriage and Materialism: Actor and Partner Effects Between Materialism, Importance of Marriage, and Marital Satisfactionhttp://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss2/2
http://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss2/2Tue, 10 Apr 2018 18:57:10 PDT
Drawing upon both the incompatibility of materialism and children model and marital paradigms theory, the purpose of the current study was to examine husband-wife actor and partner effects between materialism and marital satisfaction and to explore perception of the importance of marriage as a mediator of these relationships. Using a sample of 706 couples from the RELATE dataset, wives’ materialism negatively predicted both their own marital satisfaction as well as their husbands’ marital satisfaction. However, when controlling for financial problems in marriage, these effects became non-significant. Additionally, upon adding both wives’ and husbands’ importance of marriage (as well as combined couples’ “common fate” importance of marriage) to the model as mediators, indirect effects (actor and partner) between materialism and marital satisfaction were noted. Thus, when one partner (regardless of gender) places a high value on money and possessions, both spouses are less likely to place a high value on marriage, and are subsequently less likely to be satisfied in their marriage. Implications for financial therapists are discussed.
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Ashley B. LeBaron et al.Editorial: Money & Relationshipshttp://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss2/1
http://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss2/1Tue, 10 Apr 2018 18:57:06 PDT
Jeff Dew Editorial Money & Relationships
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Jeffrey P. DewResearcher Profile: Thomas Smithhttp://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss1/11
http://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss1/11Sun, 30 Jul 2017 16:42:31 PDTDr. Thomas E. Smith has been a clinician, researcher, supervisor, and professor for over 30 years. He has more than one hundred articles spanning the fields of family therapy, social work, psychology and financial therapy. He was formerly the Training Director for an accredited postmasters’ training program in family therapy and is now a Professor of Social Work at Florida State University. He is a licensed social worker and a Clinical Fellow and Approved Supervisor with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. He is has written several books on financial therapy. He is the founder and director of the Financial Therapy Center that is affiliated with the College of Social Work at Florida State University.
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Thomas SmithPractitioner Profile: Roseann Adamshttp://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss1/10
http://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss1/10Sun, 30 Jul 2017 16:42:27 PDTRoseann Adams was born into a working-class Italian immigrant family in Chicago. Her father had been very poor as a child and delighted in the opportunities he found to earn money and provide for his family. Money was not a taboo topic in their household. From a young age she and her younger brothers were exposed to information about their family income, savings, spending, and debt. The children were often in on financial decision-making. It surprised Roseann when she learned that other kids she knew did not have similar information about their own family’s financial matters. She grew up with an appreciation for the value and power of money and remembers looking forward to the experience of earning her own income.
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Roseann AdamsBook Review: Words from the Heart: A Practical Guide to Writing an Ethical Willhttp://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss1/9
http://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss1/9Sun, 30 Jul 2017 16:42:22 PDTBook Review

Words from the Heart: A Practical Guide to

Writing an Ethical Will

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Miranda ReiterMoney Disorders and Locus of Control: Implications for Assessment and Treatmenthttp://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss1/8
http://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss1/8Sun, 30 Jul 2017 16:42:18 PDT
Research has implicated locus of control (LOC) as a factor in the development of psychological disorders, but few studies have examined how LOC relates to money disorders, which occur when stress surrounding money negatively impacts financial health. The present study utilized hierarchical regression to examine how select demographic factors and LOC contribute to 7 distinct money disorders among a sample of 164 college students. Results demonstrate that the link between external LOC and money disorders is stronger than indicated by previous research. Unlike demographic factors, which are static and were not found to predict money disorders in the present study, LOC is amenable to change, and both financial planners and mental health professionals may wish to incorporate locus of control into assessment and intervention.
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Colby D. Taylor et al.Undergraduate Financial Stress, Financial Self-Efficacy, and Major Choice: A Multi-Institutional Studyhttp://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss1/7
http://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss1/7Sun, 30 Jul 2017 16:42:13 PDT
Over time, undergraduates students been increasingly forced to assume a greater portion of college costs. For most students, this means borrowing larger sums and cutting back on expenses to fulfill their college dreams, which often leads to financial stress. Using financial self-efficacy theory, we sought to better understand how a lack of financial confidence and a diminished sense of financial well-being may serve to undermine students’ intended short and long-term goals. To this end, we examined the predictors of financial stress based upon a multi-institutional sample of senior undergraduates and focus on the role of the earnings potential of different majors.
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Kevin Fosnacht et al.Coping with Economic Stress: A Test of Deterioration and Stress-Suppressing Modelshttp://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss1/6
http://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss1/6Sun, 30 Jul 2017 16:42:09 PDT
Economic stress exacts many social and psychological costs on the quality of individual and family life. This study examined the relationships between objective economic stressors, personal and social coping resources, and financial strain. Two waves of data from the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH) were used to examine variations in the cultural utilization patterns of coping resources among whites (n=4,943), blacks (n=999), and Latinos (n=374). Structural equation modeling tested two competing models of the stress process from the life stress paradigm—the deterioration and stress-suppressing models. The stress-suppressing model was minimally supported; only one coping resource, self-efficacy, confirmed the hypothesized paths. The simultaneous paths hypothesized in the deterioration model were not supported; however, the model fit allowed group comparisons. Markedly different patterns emerged among the subsamples for personal (self-efficacy, savings behavior, bill management) and social (instrumental family support, expressive family support, and community integration) coping resources, and associations with economic stress and financial strain, providing implications for financial therapists and professionals.
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Suzanne Bartholomae et al.Does How We Feel About Financial Strain Matter for Mental Health?http://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss1/5
http://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss1/5Sun, 30 Jul 2017 16:42:04 PDT
This study investigated how stress responses to financial strain are related to mental health (i.e., depression) to answer the question: Does how we feel about financial strain matter? Informed by the ABC-X model of family stress and analyzed with data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), results reveal that financial strain is significantly related to increased depression; however, financial stress was found to moderate this relationship. Financially strained respondents without a stress response did not have significantly different depression scores than those who were not experiencing financial strain; however, depression scores increased as the stress response to financial strain increased. Consistent with the ABC-X model, results suggest that financial strain is a neutral event until it is processed and interpreted by an individual, with subjective perceptions a more powerful predictor of mental health than objective financial circumstances. These results emphasize an area of synergy for financial and mental health researchers and professionals.
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Sarah D. Asebedo et al.The Association between Employment- and Housing-Related Financial Stressors and Marital Outcomes during the 2007–2009 Recessionhttp://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss1/4
http://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss1/4Sun, 30 Jul 2017 16:42:00 PDT
This study examined the association between recession-related employment problems, recession-related housing problems, and marital quality. It used a national sample of married couples between the ages of 18 and 55. The analyses revealed that housing problems were negatively associated with wives’ reports of marital satisfaction and positively associated with wives’ and husbands’ reports of divorce proneness. Feelings of economic pressure fully mediated the association between housing problems and wives’ marital satisfaction and housing problems and husbands’ feelings of divorce proneness. Feelings of economic pressure only partially mediated the association between housing problems and wives’ reports of divorce proneness. Interestingly, recession-related employment problems were not associated with participants’ marital quality.
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Robert C. Stewart et al.How do Money, Sex, and Stress Influence Marital Instability?http://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss1/3
http://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss1/3Sun, 30 Jul 2017 16:41:54 PDT

This study explored how money and sex simultaneously predicted marital instability, and what financial therapists might focus on with clients to address problems in these areas. Specifically, this paper concurrently examined the relationship of marital instability to financial and family stressors (financial stressors, work-family conflict, and parenting stressors); financial and sexual resources (couple income and couple sexual frequency); and financial and sexual perceptions (financial dissatisfaction and sexual dissatisfaction). Couple financial communication and couple relational communication were explored as intervention points for financial therapists. Data came from Wave 2 of the Flourishing Families data set (N = 301). Data were organized using the ABC-X model of family stress (Hill, 1949) and integrated with Gottman's research on the importance of relational communication (Navarra, Gottman, & Gottman, 2016). Path analysis revealed that family financial stressors were associated with greater financial dissatisfaction and sexual dissatisfaction. Work-family conflict was associated with greater couple income, and parenting stressors were positively associated with sexual dissatisfaction. Couple income was associated with lower financial dissatisfaction, and sexual frequency was associated with lower sexual dissatisfaction. Both financial dissatisfaction and sexual dissatisfaction predicted greater marital instability; however, healthy couple financial communication and healthy couple relationship communication fully mediated these two associations. This suggests that if financial therapists help clients to communicate more productively about money and sex, problems such as financial stress, work-family conflict, inadequate income, and conflicts about sexual frequency may be less likely to lead to divorce.

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E. Jeffrey Hill et al.Physiological Arousal during Couple Financial Discussions as a Precursor to Seeking Financial Planning Helphttp://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss1/2
http://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss1/2Sun, 30 Jul 2017 16:41:49 PDT
There continues to be a great need for financial guidance within American households, yet the utilization of professional financial help, despite its growing accessibility, is low. It has been suggested that physiological arousal is an important factor that influences help-seeking behaviors. This paper tests the hypothesis that help-seeking intentions at the couple level are shaped in part by physiological arousal within the couple. Although exploratory, findings suggest the greater the joint level of arousal, the more likely a couple will be to report an intention to meet with a financial planner. Couples who experience a higher level of arousal during a financial therapy session were found to be more likely to self-report an intention to engage in future financial planning services. Conversely, couples who reported less intention to seek help responded with less arousal during sessions. Implications for financial professionals working with couples are discussed.
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Megan R. Ford et al.Editorial Vol. 8 Issue 1http://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss1/1
http://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol8/iss1/1Sun, 30 Jul 2017 16:41:44 PDT
Editorial Vol. 8 Issue 1
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Sonya LutterBook Review: The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Workhttp://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol7/iss2/8
http://newprairiepress.org/jft/vol7/iss2/8Sun, 26 Mar 2017 18:57:34 PDTThe Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work is a relationship self-help book for individuals who have chosen to be in a relationship and also those who aspire to be in a relationship. This book has proven helpful to those in relationship counseling and coaching professions as well. The book covers why marriages work and why they fail. The seven principles provide the roadmap to ways of being together and methods for resolving conflicts and solving problems, including money.
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Neal Van Zutphen